Early Schroyer

[Darrin McDonal]

Bill, I think Mr. Schroyer would be honored to have you in his shop. Heck he may have even handed you the keys. Excellent!
Darrin

[Ed Wenger]

Bill,

As usual, superb work.  Thanks very much for posting the photos, love your work.

             Ed

[B Shipman]

Flinter, has to be an interpretation.

[Tony Clark]

But that's not the point. My rifles are not meant to represent something 200 years old , but a new rifle with some cared for use to take off the New rifle look. Based on my personal rifle built in 1983 after two years of constant use. And this is exactly what all my rifles look like barring two light taps with the edge of a file and a set of keys thrown somewhere. Not much artistic merit there. I figure it will get dented soon enough and the brass will brown.

Bill, you should try bluing a barrel and letting it age naturally. The only thing that sticks out when I see one of your creations is that typical browned barrel which would look more in place on a much lesser firearm. I guess I think that way mostly because a firearm like this you have created would not have had a browned barrel like that... everything else is outstanding to me. Try one with a charcoal blued barrel : )

[B Shipman]

Tony, the only problem is that I actually live in Lancaster, and the cops would probably be after me for having a "fire" in the back yard. Buts thats a poor excuse. I can find a place easily enough. Smithgall's farm comes to mind. I'm just to lazy to make the container and gather the charcoal which is not an easy matter. I offended half the neiborhood making bone meal charcoal to case locks. It stinks.
On the other hand, Lancaster and central PA is still the center of the world as far as longrifles are concerned. And everything else is equadistant from us. Bragging.

[Mike R]

Beautiful--one of my favorite rifles.  I have a very similar copy of a rifle that was attributed to Resor --is this the same rifle?  It was also featured in one of Shumway's mag articles now included in the two-volume compendium.  

[doulos]

Being such a greenhorn I dont know what is period correct Mr Shipman. But I do know what is pleasant to my eye. And that gun qualifies.
I really like your description fo your aging process . "a new rifle with some cared for use to take off the New look"

[B Shipman]

This rifle has a lot of Resor characteristics. The patchbox was a replacement by Carl Pippert.
The carving in front of the box is VERY Resor. And Resor used a similar flower on occasion. But the rest is Schroyer and that seems to be the current attribution.

[Gene Carrell]

A  few years  ago I had Tom Caster  build an interpetation of RCA #95. I did and continue to think  it is  one of the most beautiful early Schroyer rifles and of the period. Your rendition does it proud.

[Randall Steffy]

You have made another really attractive rifle, Bill. Again, excellence in architecture and execution as I would expect from you, and the coloration, mild aging is right to my taste. The browning also beats fire blue if you ask me. So much is subjective, but the volume of at-a-boys should give a builder confidence.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

For my next build I'm planning to do an interpretation of the very same rifle. I don't think I'll bother posting images of mine. You've already seen the best, mine will be one of the rest. But now I've got some more reference images to use.

[B Shipman]

Micah, post it. That's the fun of this site. Take the critique as well intended even if it hurts a bit. You'll get better and everyone will enjoy seeing it. I wish I had this site 30 yrs. ago.

[mjm46@bellsouth.net]

Bill, thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll do my best.